Shades of Tobi
by TigressJade
Summary: Tobi's true identity is that of a broken man, whose last grip on sanity is finally coming undone after the events leading up to dawning of the Fourth Great Shinobi War. He didn't count on Naruto, Gai, and Kakashi trying to save him even after everything he's done. Spoilers for Naruto manga chapter 599!


_Author's Note:_ I don't own Naruto. If I did there would be more cannon pairings and Iruka-sensei would get more love, preferably from the ladies. ;)

Response to Naruto manga chapter 598 and 599. I was thinking about Tobi's possible identity the other day, so I wrote this fic. THEN chapter 599 came out as I was editing this. So I can officially call Tobi's identity in this cannon and a major spoiler. (SPOILERS BEYOND THIS POINT!)

Obito is in fact Tobi, however we still don't know the true motivations behind his actions, and it almost seems suspicious that Orochimaru was revived so easily and brought back on the scene. This leads me to believe that he might be the true mastermind behind all of this and the possible final boss of the Naruto manga. It's just a theory, but I think it's a definite possibility that Obito was controlled by Orochimaru for most of the story and possibly used by Madara as an instrument to destroy the Uchiha.

Ironically as I was writing this fic I had a reviewer for one of my other stories mention it as well, by the name of **Hinata001**. Congratulate her, she's one of the Obito is Tobi holdouts that kept it up throughout the "Tobi is Madara" phase of the manga. Major points go to her for that. ^^ She also gets credit for mentioning Madara controlling Obito, it was something I hadn't considered before now.

Anyway, I hope you get some entertainment out of this. Enjoy!

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Five Years Before the Kyuubi Attack

Orochimaru of the Sannin was having his followers dig inch by rocky inch to the bottom of a cavern just below their feet.

"That brat Minato made sure to mark the location" Orochimaru commented idly as his minions worked tirelessly. "If my estimation is correct, then the boy should be here."

It wasn't late into the night that finally the work was done. They had reached the unofficial tomb of one of a freshly deceased ninja of the Uchiha clan.

"Well well, what do we have here?" Orochimaru said gleefully rubbing his hands together as a half-dead ninja lay glaring at him out of one blood red sharingan eye. The other socket was completely empty and it was a wonder he hadn't bled to death because of all the plasma seeping out of it. "A fine specimen. Oh yes, a very find specimen indeed."

"The bones in his right arm and leg are completely shattered Orochimaru-sama" a nameless chunin informed the Sannin after a quick inspection.

"I want him alive and without any further damage. Seal his wounds and secure him. Quickly." The Sannin hissed as his forked tongue protruded from his mouth to wrap around the chunin's throat. "The unit from the Hidden Cloud will be here by daybreak."

After performing some cursory medical ninjutsu on the boy, two chunin under Orochimaru's command carried him at a painstakingly slow pace back a hidden laboratory just outside of Konoha village. The boy wept out of his right eye and empty socket. He was nearly out of his mind from the pain, but he knew instinctively that this man was someone he should have been able to trust but could not. The man with the long black hair could not be trusted for reasons he couldn't remember. The pain was blocking out almost everything else.

All he could see in his mind were blurry visions of a grey haired ninja wearing a blue mask, a sad-eyed brunette, and a man with blonde spiky hair and a kind smile. Then he slipped into unconsciousness and knew no more.

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Four Years and 11.5 Months Before the Kyuubi Attack

_Orochimaru's Notes:_

_Subject#46_

_Uchiha._

_Male._

_Age 13._

_Blood Type O._

_Subject's eye function is debilitated by the loss of right eye, but the left shows the potential for growth in both Ninjutsu and Taijutsu. Extended treatments made the subject react violently toward his caretakers and he nearly destroyed valuable laboratory equipment. Fortunately his arm and leg have healed, proving my theory about the rejuvenation of bone marrow. Skin was grafted to the limbs and grown at an astonishing rate. Tissue scarring is irreversible, but positive feedback was shown in the re-growth of subject's left ear lobe._

_Psychosis: Remains unstable._

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Four Years and Six Months Before the Kyuubi Attack

Obito shifted in and out of consciousness as he felt himself succumb to the power of Orochimaru's curse seal. He watched as one of Konoha's great Sannin killed and experimented on many Konoha nin, including members of the illegal branch of Anbu known as Root. The Uchiha had wavering feelings of pity for them and at the same time wished his own life would end.

As he lay there on one of Orochimaru's operating tables, he could see a blank faced girl with dark brown hair that was set in a clump of a ponytail atop her head. She couldn't have been more than fourteen. Her face was blank and her eyes were dead inside.

A single tear fell from his left eye before he stiffened. Then the convulsions began once more and he knew only the pain of the curse seal.

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Four Years and Two Months Before the Kyuubi Attack

Orochimaru had corrupted a fair haired Konoha genin.

Was he a genin?

Obito didn't know. He wore no green vest and the markings of a chunin were not present.

The boy 's face had been one of horror when Orochimaru brought him in. Now he sported the same maniacal expression as his master. Obito knew the boy had been driven to the breaking point, it was written all over his features.

He looked like Kakashi had that day. The day he was supposed to have died, but hadn't.

Obito watched as Yakushi Kabuto experimented on himself and others. The boy became Orochimaru's personal medic nin and soon he too was using his talents on Obito's broken body.

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Four Years Before the Kyuubi Attack

Obito was Tobi. No Tobi was Obito.

The confused sixteen year old nin was having an identity crisis in Orochimaru's lab. He wasn't sure who he was anymore.

He was beaten if he didn't answer to "Tobi", yet his fractured mind said it should answer to "Obito".

So Obito _is_ Tobi. Right?

"Be a good boy Tobi, a very good boy. And if you do as I tell you, you'll have food. Lots of food." Orochimaru coaxed, viewing his subject through lazy slitted eyes.

"Tobi..." the dark haired boy said hesitantly. "Tobi is a good boy."

"Very good" Orochimaru said as he tossed a small morsel of food to the ground.

Tobi dove for it. He was hungry. So hungry.

"Tobi is a good boy. Tobi...is a very good boy."

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Three Years and Eleven Months Before the Kyuubi Attack

The curse seal was working now. Corrupting his mind.

Tobi knew this. Knew in his heart that it wasn't right. But he needed to eat, needed to live, needed to breathe.

He would do whatever Orochimaru asked of him. Say whatever that little snake-like voice in his head told him to.

Would bring him _the moon_ if he told him to.

Tobi was a good boy after all.

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Three Years and Nine Months Before the Kyuubi Attack

The Amegakure was the first.

A village hidden entirely by endless amounts of rain.

Orochimaru wanted to start an organization and he knew exactly where to send his new test subject for a test run.

He'd allow Tobi to give the Rinnegan to the young Uzumaki, Nagato and begin a new experiment.

This time he didn't want Konoha.

He wanted the world.

The Sunagakure also had a jinchuuriki who was woefully ignored by everyone.

No sense in wasting an excellent opportunity to control of yet another tailed beast.

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Three Years and Six Months Before the Kyuubi Attack

Tobi was Madara. At least that's what the voice told him. He _had_ to be Madara for now.

The Kirigakure needed to be fixed.

Yagure was perfect. Yes. Perfect.

He was _exactly_ what Tobi needed him to be.

The unquestioned Four Mizukage of "The Village of Bloody Mist".

Yagure moved whenever Tobi pulled at his strings.

"Is the Three Tails secure?" the voiced hissed from within Tobi's mind.

"Yagure-Kage is doing his job. And Tobi...Tobi is a good boy" came the answer.

"Very good" the voice hissed. "Now..."

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Two Years and Three Months Before the Kyuubi Attack

Tobi looked at his mask in the surface of a nearby stream. It was orange with markings that resembled a giant spiral. He immediately stepped on the image causing the water to ripple outward.

He knew Kisame was watching him. Kisame Hoshigaki was one of the Seven Swordsman of the Hidden Mist and his ally. His subordinate. He needed to make sure his face was covered at all times, even around Kisame. No one could know what lay behind his mask. Not until he covered the entire world in eternal genjutsu.

Uchiha Madara was back!

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The Night of the Kyuubi Attack on Konoha

Part of Obito awoke that night. He _knew_ he wasn't Madara, but a part of him kept telling him to be Madara. That he needed to be Madara all for the sake of the plan.

Then he saw Minato-sensei. Kushina. The baby.

Obito couldn't understand why he was doing these things. These terrible things to Minato-sensei and Kushina, who'd always been so kind to him. His goggles were proof of that. They were a present from Sensei's wife. Come to think of it, where _were_ his goggles anyway?

Then...then he couldn't think anymore because Sarutobi Biwako was in the way...so much blood...dripping...dripping down...her face.

And he...was holding a blonde haired baby. Minato-sensei's son. Kushina was crying.

The dark haired nin didn't even know what he was doing anymore, it was almost as if his body was moving on its own because of the curse seal.

What was...what was he saying? Was that...Orochimaru's voice in his head...? Why...?

Obito cried behind his mask. Minato-sensei couldn't see his tears as they fell down his coat behind the thick collar.

He tossed the baby to Minato-sensei. It was all he could do to keep from activating the exploding tags that were stuck to the baby blanket.

He could feel the curse seal activate once more as he used the sharingan to create a pocket dimension and left, taking a distraught Uzumaki Kushina with him.

After gaining control the Kyuubi no Kitsune, Obito fought with Minato-sensei and won.

His last image before everything fell apart was the tearful scene between Minato-sensei, Kushina, and their newborn son.

He would never see the two of them again.

His fall from grace after the Kyuubi's capture and sealing had damaged his mask. Unfortunately no had noticed his face before Orochimaru came to collect his injured body from just outside of the village. Kakashi would have gone looking for Minato-sensei as would Rin. They wouldn't have glimpsed him where he lay. He would never be that lucky.

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Two Months After the Return of the Third Hokage

Obito watched as Orochimaru collected specimens from within the village, mostly the ninja under his command.

He was shocked when he saw Rin again. She was now one of Orochimaru's subordinates and a jounin level medic nin. Unfortunately she was no match for the Sannin when he decided to use her in his next series of experiments.

Obito wanted to punch Orochimaru in the face, wanted to strangle him for what he wanted to do to Rin, but he could only watch as the inevitable happened anyway.

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Two Years After the Return of the Third Hokage

Obito watched as a fifteen year old girl resisted Orochimaru's new curse seal even as it strangled her chakra output.

He was amazed that this girl was able to do what he couldn't.

When Orochimaru grasped the girl's chin and declared her too weak to take with them after she refused to stand up and go with him, Obito slightly relieved.

The Sannin had left the girl alive.

Now if only she could survive long enough to make it back to Konoha.

Obito gave her a small amount of chakra to keep her body temperature up. He didn't want her to die. He'd already killed enough people. Orochimaru didn't seem to notice his action or care much about it. To him, Anko was just another failed experiment took weak to stand on her own.

In the end she proved him wrong as Obito had always hoped she would.

Now if only he and Rin could break free as well.

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Four Years After the Return of the Third Hokage

Obito nearly lost himself in his grief when he realized that Rin was not among the ninja laid out on Orochimaru's operating table. He had looked everywhere for the barely conscious medic nin only to find she had disappeared completely from Oto.

He didn't dare think too hard about it. Orochimaru would notice his thoughts as it was. He didn't want to give the Sannin the idea that killing Rin could be fun for him. Or he'd make Obito do it, like he'd made him cause Kushina's death and Minato-sensei's.

The only glimmer of hope he had were the ramblings of Orochimaru later that day about having to send one of his adult subordinates to the Land of the Hidden Snow to repay a favor.

Obito hoped she would come back. Even if Rin hadn't been able to recognize him because of the mask, he still wanted to see her.

He wasn't the same person anymore and his childhood love for her had died because of it.

But Rin was still family. He wanted to see her again. He _had_ to see her again.

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Eight Years After the Sealing of the Kyuubi

Obito watched as Uzumaki Naruto struggled through his days at the academy. Somewhere deep inside him, he was screaming, screaming at Kakashi, screaming at the whole entire village.

Yet he knew that he was the true cause of this boy's suffering.

When he had spare time, Obito would come and watch over Minato-sensei's son. It was the only thing that kept him from forgetting who he was anymore.

Naruto was the only good thing he had yet to destroy.

Because he was here for other reasons too.

Uchiha Itachi had come of age and it was time to manipulate him according to Orochimaru's will.

Obito hadn't counted on Itachi making a request of his own. One that Obito would not have gone through with, because Orochimaru would never give him the order. Unfortunately he didn't count on some of Madara's will being trapped within one of the Uchiha artifacts he'd come to collect. Getting there was easy enough, but once he reached the chamber beneath the clan stone, he felt some of Madara's will take hold. Orochimaru had later seethed over this miscalculation.

Itachi was blind to Madara's will, mistaking Obito for him instead. Madara's spirit had never left Konoha as long as the Nine Tails remained within the village. It was something Obito himself had failed to realize until he was seized by the will of this unknown phantom and forced to play marionette to yet another stringmaster. Nonetheless, it had to be done and unknowingly his master had ordered him to do whatever it took to get Itachi to agree to join Akatsuki. There would scarcely be enough Uchiha left for the Sannin to make use of their bodies when the time came.

All he could do now was wait.

Obito missed Mikoto's soft voice as she'd sung him to sleep as a child. He wanted to run to her and to hug her and call her cousin once more.

Most of all, he didn't want her to die.

But it was going to happen anyway.

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Sasuke's Days in Oto

Obito was kept out of Sasuke's sight and spent most of his time outside of Oto while the teen was present there. Orochimaru made sure the young Uchiha had no idea the puppet leader of Akatsuki even existed.

He couldn't know. Not until Orochimaru "died".

There was a much larger plan at work, Obito knew, and it required Sasuke to join Akatsuki somewhere in the near future. Orochimaru's ramblings in his head had told him as much.

Still he really wanted to see his cousin.

Even if he had become a tool of vengeance who craved his brother's imminent demise.

If only he knew what Itachi had really done for him that night.

Obito knew Sasuke would have tried to save him rather than murder his own brother, if only he'd had the right reason.

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Days with Deidara

Obito both loved and hated being in Deidara's presence. He _hated_ being Tobi and being trapped inside his own damn mind. Orochimaru wanted Tobi to be an over-excitable rookie with mush for brains, so that was how Obito acted.

The phrase "Tobi is a good boy" still rang in his head.

At least he was able to act more like he used to, back when he still had things to be happy about.

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Before the Fourth Great Shinobi War

Itachi Uchiha's death was something Obito would always regret. Even if he was one of the few who hadn't died by "Tobi's" hand.

"Your brother kept you alive. He did everything he could so that you would survive."

Convincing Sasuke of the truth behind the Uchiha Massacre shouldn't have been so easy. Nor should the teen's resolve to destroy Konoha have been so very strong...

"I will destroy Konoha!"

Obito couldn't say much more to him, the snake wouldn't allow it. He wanted to tell Sasuke the whole truth. That Kushina and Mikoto had once been friends and that the mystery surrounding her death had caused the Uchiha to question the will of the Senju even more.

Sasuke seemed determined to defy his will and by proxy, Orochimaru's. This made Obito both relieved and anxious about his cousin. It meant that he was not completely under anyone's influence, but his own. Tobi cursed his inability to bring the teen back to the side his friends fought on. Even if his master was "dead", the curse seals still restricted his actions. So he was forced to reel the boy back in by giving the chance to take down Danzo.

His near murder of Karin actually shocked Obito on the inside. Even if he was happy to see the leader of Root finally get his just deserves. The man was no better than Orochimaru with what he'd done to children over the years to serve his own political agenda.

Still giving Itachi's eyes to Sasuke would make him even more dangerous and prone to inevitable vengeance toward Konoha and its residents. Orochimaru's plan was becoming even more twisted as time went by and Obito, he was once again afraid to imagine what was to come.

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The Beginning of the Fourth Great Shinobi War 

The Kage's were enraged. All five of them.

And Naruto. He'd seen Naruto once again.

Obito was glad when Kakashi stepped in to save the young nin from his trap.

He could feel Orochimaru stirring in his mind.

The Sannin wanted this young ninja for something very particular.

Before or after they'd harvested the Nine Tails, Obito couldn't say.

All he knew was that Minato's son had grown into a fine young ninja with all the right morals and ideals.

A part of him wanted to see this young ninja become the Sixth Hokage one day.

If only Orochimaru hadn't already planned his swift but necessary demise.

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Two Weeks After the Beginning of the Fourth Great Shinobi War

Konan's death was regrettable, but unavoidable.

She had damaged his mask irreparably and he knew he'd have to craft a new one before re-entering the battlefield. Orochimaru was insistent that no one was to know his true identity. Not even his "comrades".

Obito's newly recovered Rinnegan shone brightly as he caught her suddenly, causing he paper-based jutsu to shatter. The cut-outs fell to the ground and crumpled as the kunoichi breathed her last.

Obito wanted to cry at the loss of this young girl murdered by his own hand. He lay her down in a pile of flowers next to her fallen comrade, Yakiko, whose corpse had been the source of Pain's unending strength. Just beyond them was the corpse of Nagato, from whom he had already stolen one of his Rinnegan eyes and now he took back the other. It would fill the empty socket in the left side of his face, to hide his disfigurement from the world, and then _it_ would all begin.

Obito looked back at Nagato, whose red hair had now turned to gray. He knew the boy was one of the last of the Uzumaki clan and it reminded him of Kushina. Of Minato-sensei's son.

Then he turned slowly away as the snake began to hiss once more in folds of his mind.

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The End of the Fourth Great Shinobi War

"The kunai went to the same dimension Tobi did after I used Komui on it" Kakashi stated to Naruto, Gai, and the Hachibi. Then he glared at Obito through his white mask, which was now slightly cracked. "Where did you get that eye?"

"From the battle at Kannabi Bridge" Obito answered.

Obito knew that despite Orochimaru's orders, he was starting to sound more and more like himself with every passing second. That meant not only was Orochimaru's power weakening despite his revival by way of Anko's curse seal, but Kakashi's eye was having more of an effect on him than usual.

His eye. It was Obito's eye after all, he remembered that much now.

He proceeded to tell Kakashi off and that his words were worthless in the face of his past actions.

What he really wanted to say was that Kakashi had changed for the better and despite wanting to leave Rin for dead all those years ago, everything he'd done had all been for the right reasons.

When his mask was finally shattered, by Minato-sensei's son of all people, it took everything he had not to scream.

"Who are you?!"

Obito felt a sudden curl of dread in his stomach as he watched the pieces of his mask fall away.

The shocked on the faces of Maito Gai and Kakashi was tantamount. Naruto kept looking back and forth between the Obito and the jounins wearily. Then he glared at Obito

"Naruto stop, can't you see the curse seals on his neck?" Kakashi said, eyes still wide.

"It is as we feared, my rival" Gai stated somberly. "It's him. Those seals are clearly the work of that evil man Orochimaru. What does your eye tell you about this?"

"That's we've all been made fools of by Orochimaru."

"I don't get it? Kakashi-sensei, who is this guy?" Naruto asked, extremely confused.

"His name is Uchiha Obito and we were on the same genin team under Minato-sensei" Kakashi explained. "He was supposed to have died in the Third Great Shinobi War five years before you were born."

"But then how did he-?"

"Those seals indicate Orochimaru is somehow involved in this. Minato-sensei would have reported Obito's death the location of his body to the Hokage. If I were to hazard a guess, I'd say Orochimaru must have gotten a hold of that information and used it to his advantage." Kakashi said.

"That bastard." Naruto growled. "So, what can we do about Obito then? We can't just kill him if he's being controlled by that old snake."

"We might have to" Kakashi warned. "We don't know how aware he is or what he's capable of."

"We need to neutralize the seals on him to be sure" Gai commented, finally coming out of his shock.

"I can help you there" the Hachibi put in. "Bee agrees that we shouldn't judge this guy without making sure he isn't completely evil."

Gai and Kakashi moved swiftly and with a combination of attacks managed to paralyze Obito, while Naruto and Kurama readied themselves to overload the curse seals.

"Here goes NOTHING!" Naruto shouted as he put a hand on Obito's neck and forehead, and slowly transferred Kurama's monstrous chakra reserves into the seals and used them to push out Orochimaru's chakra stores.

Obito's sharingan had turned splinter thin as he began to feel a great deal of pain. His imminent screams caused Kakashi to grab hold of his shoulder to make sure he didn't pull away.

When Naruto was finished he backed off and left Kakashi to hold up his now weakened former teammate. Gai stepped forward to help him move the Uchiha into a sitting position.

"Did it work?" Naruto wanted to know.

Kakashi looked down at their "captive" thoughtfully.

Obito slowly let his head clear as the Orochimaru's voice began to disappear and memories flooded back to him. He was free, which was the best thing to happen to him in years. Only now that it had happened he would have to pay for what he'd done, regardless of the fact that Orochimaru was the one truly responsible. Obito had had no means of escape all these years and it was now that he truly felt the pain of what he'd seen and what he'd been made to do. At least he got to see Kakashi become the ninja he always wanted him to be and Minato-sensei's son was still alive and well on his way to becoming the next hokage.

"Just...kill...me. Minato-sensei...Kushina...Yugura...Jiraiya...Rin... All...my...fault."

Kakashi winced. At quick assessment with his sharingan eye told him the curse seals were completely gone and in their wake was a broken ninja who'd lived a tortured life.

"We need to get him out of here, I don't like the idea of him being locked up." Kakashi said evenly.

Gai blinked at his rival and then gave Obito an assessing glance.

"Are you absolutely sure about this?" he asked. "This is grounds for treason. Are you sure he won't betray us?"

"I don't know that he has enough left in him to betray us. I need your help. Gai. Naruto. I can't let him stand trial in front of everyone after this." Kakashi all but pleaded.

"He was probably under Orochimaru's control for a long time, like Sasuke." Naruto replied in a grave tone. "I don't think my Dad would want him to be killed or imprisoned if none of what he did were his fault."

"Go on" the Hachibi said and the three of them jumped. They'd forgotten his presence in the wake of Obito's revelations. " Kurama insists that I repay a debt I once owed him here and now. Bee agrees too. We will keep this a secret from the Hidden Cloud provided this man never causes a coup or tries to kill the Raikage."

_Is that true fox?_ Naruto asked the kyuubi.

_This man is not the one on whom I want to get revenge. He was only the snake man's puppet._ The Nine Tails answered. _Turning him in won't serve any purpose now, besides youngling, I know it is your desire and that of your teacher that he live._

_Thanks Kurama!_ Naruto replied. _I never knew you were such a softie._

_Bite me._

_No way._

"Our thanks" Kakashi said. "Gai do you-"

"I know a place" Gai said quietly. "We'll take him there for the time being and keep him under guard." Then he paused to look at Obito's slumped body once more. "I hope you're right about this Kakashi."

"So do I."

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Two weeks after the end of the Fourth Great Shinobi War

"I'm back." Naruto said cheerfully as he opened the door to the safe house.

Apparently Gai's hideout was a tree house located about 30 miles east of Konoha. The three shinobi had taken turns guarding their charge, whose mood had improved slightly over the past few days. Obito had seemed more and more like the boy the Kakashi knew as the days went on, which convinced both him and Gai about the truth of Orochimaru's manipulations. It would be a long while before they could successfully enlist a medic nin to give Obito a full examination and much needed care, however, they were considering brining Sakura in on it after everything died down.

The Fourth Great Shinobi War had finally ended and a tentative peace existed between the five great ninja villages. Madara was eventually defeated by the Five Kage's. It hadn't taken more than a day for Orochimaru to regroup after his resurrection by way of Anko's curse seal and he invaded Konoha with the help of Uchiha Sasuke and Team Taka. After Orochimaru's defeat at the hands of Naruto and Sakura, Sasuke had been soundly beaten and declared mentally unstable. He was currently being held by Anbu like any other missing nin, while awaiting a mild interrogation by Ibiki. Naruto had highly objected to this, but Tsunade and Kakashi managed to get him to see reason. Sasuke was still a danger to everyone in the village and had aided and abetted those who wished to destroy it. Naruto realized that he, unfortunately, couldn't reveal the truth about the capabilities of Orochimaru's curse seals on a person's mind without putting Obito in danger. He had made a promise to Kakashi and Sasuke wasn't actually in danger anymore. In fact he was insistent that his old sensei and members of his genin team not be allowed to visit him. Kakashi was of a mind that many of Sasuke's choices were still his own actions and that Itachi had truly been the one to drive him to the dark side. In the end Naruto was forced to deal with the situation as was, but that didn't stop him from grumbling about it constantly.

Kabuto was later found and imprisoned. He was currently awaiting trial, though his former family at the orphanage was requesting that he be released into their care. Tsunade was considering it on the grounds that the gray haired medic nin still remained unresponsive and had part of his chakra temporarily sealed. Her investigation into Danzo's manipulation of Kabuto and his adoptive mother was still ongoing. The intel she had received on Root and it's inner workings were continuously disturbing. Sai was acting as her key informant to everything that had gone on behind Sarutobi's back. Once she had removed what remained of the chakra seal on his tongue, his testimony had helped her locate its headquarters and finally shut down the program. The remaining members of Root had been relocated either to an orphanage or nearby medical facilities.

The Kakashi, Gai and Naruto had decided they would tell her about Obito eventually, after she had stepped down as Hokage.

"Kakashi-sensei says we might be able to move you in another few months." Naruto continued. "Things will have died down a bit by then."

"Why are you still helping me? Your friend is in a cell, like I should be. I cause the death of Minato-sensei and Kushina as well countless others...you shouldn't be here looking after me. " Obito said as he looked at the blond with a wary expression.

He still didn't know why Naruto of all people had agreed to help him escape at the end of the Fourth Great Ninja War. Apparently Kakashi had returned to the scene later to leave behind a fake body and a shattered mask. He knew why his former teammate cared after seeing him make excuses in front of the monument for years, all the while wishing he could just tell the grey haired jounin that he was really alive. Kakashi would never be able to let him go, regardless of what he'd done. Obito knew that now. Gai was much the same way as he'd lost too many comrades over the years and he was eternally loyal to his eternal rival. Naruto though, he was the one person besides Uchiha Sasuke, who should hate him the most out of anyone. Instead the kid had not only helped to save Obito's life, but provided for his continued survival in the form of occasional medical aid and weekly supplies.

Orochimaru had been defeated and while it was true Obito was no longer a threat now that the Sannin's control over him had been broken, he still didn't understand why Naruto insisted on doing this for him.

"You didn't mean to do what you did." Naruto answered as if he'd read the man's mind. He hefted the bag of supplies on his back and laid it out on a small table.

"But it happened even though I was being controlled, I still basically killed them" Obito insisted.

"Kakashi said you used to be a clumsy happy-go-lucky type of guy. I have a feeling you might be able to be that person again one day. I want to meet the person my father cared so much about." Naruto answered matter-of-factly as he began to put the supplies away in various cabinets attached to the nearby wall.

"I see I'll have to reword my question. Why are you helping the person who ruined your life?" Obito asked in a flat tone. "I wouldn't have been that mature at your age. Kakashi certainly wasn't, he even took on some of my worst traits to try to make up for my death."

"I'm helping my father's former genin and someone both my parents, my sensei, and Jiraiya cared about and thought of as family. That's enough for me. I follow my own ninja way if you haven't noticed that already" Naruto repeated determinedly. Then he changed to a cheeky grin and said "But it wasn't you're fault. I _know_ it wasn't. And I doubt my father or Jiraiya-sensei would see it that way. Kakashi doesn't. Neither does Gai-sensei."

"Where is he, anyway?"

"Gai-sensei took Lee up to the mountains again to train. He said it would have been suspicious if he didn't hold true to his monthly training schedule. We don't want Granny Tsunade being suspicious of why he didn't go if he and Lee are in perfect health." Naruto explained. "Have you seen Kakashi-sensei lately?"

"He was here yesterday, he brought my things from the Uchiha compound." Obito remarked as he turned to look at the blond. "He tends to come by more often than anyone. I keep telling him to live his life instead. He doesn't need to look out for me. Gai doesn't need this burden either."

"Gai-sensei does care about you, you know. You're very important to his eternal rival. That and both of you are the closest things Kakashi-sensei has ever had to a best friend. Also I haven't been here much, because can't sneak out nearly as much as Kakashi-sensei since Granny Tsunade's begun training me to take over her job." Naruto announced with much excitement."

"I'm sure the Anbu are out in full force after what happened with _that man_."

"It would have been much easier back when people were still ignoring me. Now everyone notices me in the village and it's kind of hard to sneak away even in the dark of night now." Naruto said sheepishly raking a hand through is hair. "I'm just glad Granny Tsunade hasn't figure it out."

"Unless she doubts the validity of your claim, we should be safe for now." The house's occupant said letting out a sigh. "Have you managed to locate Rin?"

"Kakashi-sensei's looking into it. I can't believe no one thought to look for a connection between her disappearance and that freak Orichimaru's experiments!"

"He was good at what he did" The dark haired man bit out between gritted teeth. "The Third blindly trusted him for years. It was just enough for him to be above suspicion "

"Otherwise they might have found you..." Naruto trailed off.

"I don't blame Kakashi or Minato-sensei for not going back for my body. Protocol said that the dead could only be retrieved after the mission was completed and only if it was safe to do so without compromising their identities or location. I was also under several tons of rock." Obito closed his eyes

"But it didn't crush you?" Naruto countered. "How is that even possible? Kakashi-sensei said you were hit by a falling rock the size of Choji."

"My head protector stopped the rock from breaking my head open and Orochimaru was able to heal the shattered bones in my arm, leg and ribs through continuous experiments." Obito as tremors began to break in different parts of his body. It would take him years to get over the trauma of it all, if he ever did.

"Isn't that how he managed to control you?" Naruto said putting a hand on the man's shoulder.

Obito shot him a grateful look and managed to calm himself.

"No, he used a combination of curse seals to gain control of my mind and body."

"You don't talk like Kakashi-sensei said you used to...is that because of Orochimaru too?" Naruto asked inquisitively.

The man's sharingan flared and he shook his head.

"Partly. Mostly it's just because I lived a different life before all this happened, Naruto. You don't use the words "datte bayo" nearly as much as you used to. You seem to have changed as well, but for the better. My time in Oto didn't bring about any good changes, I'm afraid." Obito told him.

"_Tobi_ isn't you." Naruto insisted. "You're still Obito, despite what he did to you. I'm sure that everyone would forgive you if they knew. You're not a bad person."

"Tobi is a good boy!" The man said with little reserve, wagging a finger at the younger ninja. Then he clamped a hand over his mouth. " I hate that damn phrase. He made me say it over and over. Tobi was an act to fool anyone who wished to follow me and through me, Orochimaru."

"Then who do you want to be?" Naruto asked as he looked up into Obito's red eye.

"I want to be me again, whoever that happens to be" Obito answered, suddenly feeling more energetic than he had in years. He had a life again and his own free will and he had some good old friends to thank for it. He knew he should be grateful that he'd been freed at all. Still, what he'd lost would always would always stay with him, regardless of how much time would pass. "Maybe I should convince Kakashi to let me go for a night. Playing practical jokes on the entirety of the Hidden Cloud might help me regain some sense of sanity."

"There it is!"

"There _what_ is?"

"Your true self. I knew you were in there somewhere." Naruto said pointedly.

Obito had a sneaking suspicion that his new found energy amidst the trauma of Orochimaru's past control over him was the result of having people care about him again _and _what Konoha residents liked to call Naruto's "therapy jutsu". Kakashi's brotherly actions might also have something to do with it. Between the two of them and Gai's rants about the power of positive thinking, it was a wonder Obito could keep his depressive mood going at all.

"I watched you for years, while you were growing up" Obito said "and you always seemed to want to hear everyone's sob stories. How the hell is it that I feel _better _now that I've told you everything? I still have nightmares about what _that man_ did to me and what he made me do. Why is it easier with Kakashi, Gai, and you here all of a sudden?"

"Because like it or not you were my Dad's student and that makes you family. Kakashi-sensei would say that same thing." Naruto said with a grin. "Gai-sensei says he'd always thought you were a good person and that he's glad you're alive. He doesn't hold grudges either. You're stuck with us."

00000000000000000000

Four Years After the End of the Fourth Great Shinobi War

Obito had to admit that his life had definitely changed for the better these past few years. He was still haunted by the nightmares of what he'd done and what he'd seen, but at least he was finally free and able to spend time with family and friends. And Rin. He'd been very nervous about meeting Rin again after helping Kakashi and Gai rescue her from the Land of Snow. Apparently Kakashi was friends with the local princess, Yuki, who'd helped him to locate his long lost teammate. She'd been in the custody of a few holdouts from their former dictator, Yuki's uncle's, rule. They were a group of shinobi determined to invoke another coup and regain the power and notoriety they'd gained under their dead leader's reign. Rin had been sold to them by Orochimaru, who'd been determined to solidify an alliance with Yuki's uncle upon the success of his Moons Eye plan. Seeing Rin's smiling face after they freed her from her chains and finally got her much needed medical attention was both entirely painful for Obito and entirely joyful. Nothing had made Obito happier after all those years of torment and utter despair at Orochimaru's hand than seeing the girl he loved alive again alive again.

"I never thought I could feel like this again" Obito said eyeing Kakashi thoughtfully. "You really came through for us this time."

"I didn't know either of you would be so mature after all these years. I still remember you struggling to hold a kunai your first year at the academy" Kakashi commented picking his head up from his Icha Icha book.

The grey haired ninja was sitting cross-legged in the far corner of living room in Obito's tree house. He had taken up residence there with Rin after returning from the Land of Snow. Tsunade herself had given Rin further medical attention at the behest of Naruto, though she still lectured Gai, Kakashi, Naruto, and Obito (despite his ex-villain status) about undergoing such a task without her permission. Then she thanked them for dealing with an inconvenient political issue as she'd received a request from the Land of Snow some weeks back about their troubles with the rouge shinobi. Only afterwards did she demand an explanation about Obito's status and what had truly happened to the masked shinobi they'd all encountered years before.

That had been a night Naruto would never forget, even if Tsunade had ceased glaring at him upon the mention of Orochimaru's involvement in the whole affair and her own sensei's failings and inability to prevent him committing from such profane acts.

Eventually she had accepted the situation and helped them keep up the ruse by drafting an order that their tree house be considered a guard outpost for Konoha. Rin and Obito themselves, who'd been given false identities, along with Gai and Kakashi were solely responsible for its upkeep. An order Naruto would renew upon his elevation to Hokage status in another decade or so.

As a result Sakura, Sai, and Hinata were able to visit there from time to time. Even if at least two of the three had realized the truth of the matter and kept quiet about it.

"So Naruto, when are you two finally getting hitched? No sense in dragging it out and asking Hiashi later, when you've been dating for years" Kakashi put in.

He still loved pushing his student's buttons even after all these years.

At that moment three couch pillows hit Kakashi in the face simultaneously or what turned out to be a shadow clone. Sakura, Hinata, and Naruto had all tried to get him and failed.

"Kakashi! What have I told you about teasing them!" Rin yelled at him from the kitchen. "It was hard enough getting them to realize their feelings in the first place without you adding your two sense in. What would Minato-sensei say?"

Obito just shook his head. There was no way he was going to gainsay his girlfriend on this. Not when Rin was absolutely determined to keep their former teammate from being brought down by his own students in a moment of frustration. Not that it helped much since Kakashi was determined to be the bane of both Sakura and Naruto's existence until the day died.

"That Naruto has a thing for cute Hyuga girls?" the grey haired jounin answered cheekily.

This time Rin's frying pan hit home and Kakashi crashed to the floor.

"Alas I am slain." Kakashi said dramatically, despite having blocked the impact with yet another ninjutsu.

"That wasn't a very wise decision, my rival. Though I applaud your versatility in evading your students once again" Gai answered with an eager smile. "I will have to take notes on this in order to make the most of Lee's training next week."

"I don't know how I ever put up with you." Kakashi grumbled. Only Gai could turn something like this into a future training exercise.

"Serves you right." Obito said with a grin.

"You too Obito."

"What'd I do?"

"You egged him on as usual."

"But Rin dear, I rescued you from the Land of the Hidden Snow."

"Yes yes, my Mask in Shining Armor" Rin said matter-of-factly as she continued to cook dinner for all of them. "But as I recall we all had to save you after you pissed off one of Yuki's bodyguards."

"It was just a small prank" Obito insisted. "For old time's sake."

"mhhmmm...and what about that time Kakashi turned the Captain of the Guard's hair blue with a certain jutsu that-shall-not-be-named?" Rin said warily.

"Aw, cut him some slack. He did let one of his books burn for you during the fight with those missing-nin, Rin" Obito put in as he wrapped an arm around Naruto, who looked up at him with an affectionate smile.

"He did go way into the mountains just to find you and save you" Naruto said giving Kakashi a teasing smile. "He was really worried there for a while."

"And you all saved me from Orochimaru" Obito whispered giving his friend a grateful look.

Kakashi nodded and returned to his book.

"It was our honor to do so for a teammate and friend of my rival" Gai said cheeringly.

"It was nothing." Naruto replied as he wrapped an arm around Hinata's shoulders contentedly, which made her blush profusely. "At least Granny Tsunade didn't kill us after all."

"I don't think she would have any Naruto. She does seem to care a great deal about you and everyone here" Hinata put in.

"It's nice to have family" Naruto replied with a small smile. "Of any variety."

Sakura nodded in response as did Obito and Hinata. She was glad that her teammate and sensei as well as their friends had made it out of the war and the aftermath alive. Even if Sasuke was gone from her life and she'd had to begin the world of dating and romance anew, she deeply valued what she had here with everyone. It was hard to imagine just how much worse things could have turned out for them.

_One less thing to worry about_, she thought, _one disaster less than when we started our first day as genin._

* * *

I realize this fic isn't perfect and that I was a bit brief with some topics and events. ^^ The snapshots from Obito's memories and thoughts were there to give perspective and set up one of the most important points in the story. I might get around to writing a larger chapter fic for this at some point. If you guys want me to that. Otherwise, school starts up in another week and I'm busy preping for that. XD So, I hope you enjoyed the fic overall, despite some of the gray areas like Madara (which haven't been revealed in the actual manga yet, so I'm at a bit of a loss for them.) Thanks for reading. I hope you all enjoyed manga chapter 599 as much as I did. )


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